Could Distributed Peer Review Better Decide Grant Funding?
The landscape of academic grant funding is notoriously competitive and plagued by lengthy, bureaucratic processes, exacerbated by difficulties in finding willing reviewers. Distributed […]
The Economist for the Rest of Us: Gary S. Becker, 1930-2014
Nobel laureate Gary S. Becker, one of the University of Chicago economists who unshackled the dismal science from its focus on the behavior of money to the behavior of people, has died.
Aussie Academics Keep Publishing, and May Start Perishing
Under attack from some quarters for research that is portrayed as wasteful or out of touch, it’s time, argues Jason Ensor, to find newer and more public ways to engage the community beyond the ivory tower.
Please Take A More Open View Of Openness
Ben Johnson posits that frequently asked questions concerning open access implementation for particular disciplines arise from an incomplete conception of the nature of openness that neglects one vital component: connection.
1984 Is Knocking At The Door. Let It In
When governments nudge people to do healthful things it IS a little bit like 1984, says Mike Marinetto. But it’s more like a big brother than Big Brother, he adds.
Vote Yes (With Caveats!) for the Destruction of Knowledge
Scholarly knowledge is under threat, and that’s both good and dire, argued panelists at a recent discussion in Vienna.
Tamiflu and the Ethics of the British Medical Journal
No one expected Tamiflu to be a wonder drug, but indications are that it’s moderately useful in fighting a serious public health threat. But that message was lost last week in an ill-starred rush to beat up on ‘wicked’ Big Pharma, argues Robert Dingwall.
Penny Wise: Why Would Anyone Gut Australia’s Science Agency?
Proposals circulating to cut as much as a fifth of the budget from the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation are a quick way to inflict long-term pain in Australia’s research community.
PoliSci Publishing Has a Need for Speed
Editors of the recently launched journal Research and Politics argue publishing in political science requires a reboot. Time lags in conventional publishing and the limited accessibility of articles can undermine researchers’ attempts to maximize the impact of their work.
